When I began helping women overcome hormonal issues, including reproductive health challenges, I noticed a pattern that broke my heart: so many women were trying to conceive while unknowingly sabotaging their fertility with everyday choices. These weren’t women who were making obviously harmful decisions—they were conscientious women who simply didn’t realise how certain modern conveniences were affecting their hormonal balance.
After working with clients on their fertility journeys, I’ve compiled what I believe are the ten most impactful changes you can make to support your body’s natural fertility. Some might surprise you (they certainly surprised me when I first learned about them!), but I’ve seen remarkable transformations when these principles are applied consistently.
1. Farewell to Fragrance: The Hidden Fertility Disruptor
Let’s begin with something that shocked me when I first discovered it: those lovely scented candles creating such a relaxing atmosphere in your home may be significantly disrupting your hormones.
Most conventional candles are made from paraffin wax (a petroleum byproduct) and synthetic fragrances that release phthalates—known endocrine disruptors that can mimic estrogen in the body. Even expensive, luxury candles are often guilty of this unless specifically labeled otherwise. This for me was a painful realisation because of how much money I had spent on fancy candles.
What surprised many of my clients is that even candles marketed as “natural” can contain problematic ingredients. The term “fragrance” on a label can legally hide dozens of chemicals, many of which are xenoestrogens that may interfere with your reproductive hormones.
What to do instead: If you love ambiance, opt for beeswax or 100% soy candles scented only with pure essential oils ( I teach women how to make their own in my low tox wellness community). Better yet, use an essential oil diffuser with fertility-supporting oils like clary sage, geranium, or lavender. Your reproductive system will thank you, and you’ll still have that lovely atmosphere you desire.
Here is my first choice to get started with a high-quality diffuser and essential oils: https://www.youngliving.com/apps/enrollment/social-links/a0b5d5aa-fcc3-4f4e-9c0a-4192e8a3ba4e
2. Plastic Detox: Your Food Storage Fertility Makeover
When I review my clients’ daily habits, plastic food storage almost always makes the list for elimination. Plastics—even those labeled BPA-free—typically contain other bisphenols and phthalates that leach into your food, especially when heated or used with acidic foods like tomatoes or citrus.
These compounds act as xenoestrogens in your body, potentially disrupting the delicate hormonal balance necessary for ovulation and implantation. I’ve seen remarkable improvements in hormonal profiles when women eliminate plastic food storage.
What to do instead: Invest in glass, stainless steel storage containers. Never heat food in plastic, even if it’s labeled “microwave safe.” (better yet, stop using the microwave). When purchasing packaged foods, opt for glass jars or tetrapak containers where possible. These simple swaps can significantly reduce your daily exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals.
3. Filter Your Water: Beyond Taste to Fertility Protection
Town water supplies, while generally safe from pathogens, often contain traces of pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals that standard water treatment doesn’t remove. Additionally, chlorine and fluoride, while added for public health reasons, may impact thyroid function—a critical component of fertility. https://www.completehomefiltration.com.au/chemicals-or-contaminants-what-is-in-australian-tap-water/
One of the best things you can do is get your mineral profile done, and work with me to reduce all toxic exposure: https://sustainablehealthaustralia.com.au/hair-tissues-analysis-testing-minerals-the-sparkplugs-to-life/
In my clinical experience, proper hydration with clean water is one of the foundations of reproductive health. When my clients switch to properly filtered water, they often report improved cervical fluid quality—a key factor in fertility that many overlook.
What to do instead: Invest in a high-quality water filter that removes chlorine, fluoride, and other contaminants. Look for filtration systems certified to remove pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors. At minimum, use a carbon filter jug, but consider under-sink reverse osmosis systems for more comprehensive filtration. And please, aim to stop drinking from plastic water bottles!
4. Clean Up Your Cleaning Products: A Fertility-Friendly Home
Conventional cleaning products contain a cocktail of chemicals that can disrupt your endocrine system. The reproductive impacts of ingredients like phthalates, glycol ethers, and quaternary ammonium compounds (“quats”) are well-documented in research, yet they remain ubiquitous in household cleaners.
What many women don’t realise is that these chemicals can be absorbed through the skin during cleaning and inhaled for hours afterward as they evaporate into the air. This creates a constant low-level exposure that may impact egg quality and hormonal balance.
What to do instead: Create your own cleaning solutions using ingredients like white vinegar, baking soda, and castile soap. If DIY isn’t your style, choose truly clean commercial products that fully disclose all ingredients. My brand of choice is the thieves range from Young Living. Get your full cleaning make over kit here: https://www.youngliving.com/apps/enrollment/social-links/43e37afb-ced7-4821-8fa1-6a94ddcf85ac
My own home has been conventional-cleaner-free for more than a decade, and I promise your home can still sparkle without the hormone disruptors!
5. Rethink Your Personal Care Routine: Beauty Without the Fertility Cost
The average woman applies products containing over 160 chemical ingredients to her body each day. Many of these—particularly fragrances, preservatives like parabens, and chemical sunscreen ingredients—can disrupt hormonal systems central to reproduction.
What’s particularly concerning is that these products are applied directly to the skin, where they can be absorbed into the bloodstream without the filtering benefit of the digestive system. In my practice, I’ve seen great improvements in hormonal profiles when women simplify their personal care routines.
What to do instead: Gradually replace conventional products with cleaner alternatives, prioritising items that remain on your skin (like moisturizers, sunscreens, and body lotions). Use resources like
Focus on simplified routines with fewer products and ingredients. Your skin—and your reproductive system—often function better with less intervention. My brand of choice has an incredible range of personal care products. Once you get your starter kit, you have all you need at your finger tips.
start here with the medicinal wellness kit: https://www.youngliving.com/apps/enrollment/social-links/ebb5fd9d-2828-4884-a254-e00c58356cdf
6. Seed Cycling: Nature’s Fertility Support System
This practice of consuming specific seeds during different phases of your menstrual cycle has been transformative for many of my clients with fertility challenges. Seeds contain lignans, essential fatty acids, and micronutrients that provide targeted support for estrogen metabolism and progesterone production.
In my clinical experience, seed cycling can help regulate previously irregular cycles and improve ovulation quality—both crucial factors for conception. The beauty of this approach is its gentle effectiveness and accessibility.
What to do: Get my free guide here:https://sustainablehealthaustralia.com.au/2025/04/27/seed-cycling-for-hormone-balance/
7. Movement Medicine: Exercise for Fertility Enhancement
When it comes to exercise and fertility, both too much and too little can be problematic. High-intensity workouts create physical stress that can suppress reproductive function, while sedentary lifestyles reduce circulation to reproductive organs and may contribute to insulin resistance—a common factor in conditions like PCOS that affect fertility.
What I’ve found most effective is helping women sync their movement practices to their menstrual cycles. This approach honors the body’s changing energetic needs throughout the month and supports rather than disrupts hormonal balance.
What to do:
During your follicular phase, when energy naturally rises, enjoy moderate cardio and strength training.
Around ovulation, your body can handle higher intensity if desired. During your luteal phase, gradually decrease intensity, focusing on strength, Pilates, or yoga.
During menstruation, gentle walking and restorative yoga support the body’s natural cleansing processes.
This cyclical approach supports both physical and hormonal health while preventing the exercise-induced stress that can interfere with conception.
Join my Wellness Empire Program for full support.
8. Circadian Rhythm Reset: Sleep Your Way to Better Fertility
I cannot overstate how profoundly sleep impacts fertility. Research shows that women with sleep disorders or irregular sleep patterns have lower rates of successful conception and higher rates of miscarriage. This is because reproductive hormones are produced according to your circadian rhythm, with much of the important hormonal work happening during deep sleep phases.
Light exposure plays a crucial role here. Evening exposure to blue light from screens disrupts melatonin production, which in turn affects reproductive hormone production. Many of my clients are shocked to discover how quickly their menstrual cycles regulate when they prioritise proper sleep hygiene.
What to do: Create a consistent sleep schedule, aiming for 7-9 hours of quality sleep.
Limit blue light exposure after sunset – and wearing blue-blocking glasses in the evening or whilst using a screen. Use this code for a discount.
https://sustainablehealthaustralia.com.au/2022/10/05/red-light-therapy/
Make your bedroom a true sleep sanctuary—cool, completely dark, and free from electronics.
Consider using Young Living sleep oils, like Lavender, Release, Trauma Life and supplements (contact me for more individualised support). These changes not only support fertility but also improve overall wellbeing and resilience during the fertility journey.
9. Stress Reduction: The Fertility-Stress Connection
When I mention stress management to my fertility clients, I’m often met with eye rolls—they’ve heard it before and find it frustrating when their very real medical challenges are reduced to “just relax and it will happen.” Let me be clear: stress reduction isn’t about magically getting pregnant through relaxation. It’s about creating physiological conditions that support your reproductive system’s optimal function. 75-80% of illness has a direct link with stress.
Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which can suppress reproductive hormone production, alter ovulation timing, and even affect the implantation environment. Your body interprets ongoing stress as a signal that conditions aren’t safe for pregnancy, regardless of your conscious desires.
What to do: Incorporate evidence-based stress management techniques into your daily routine. I recommend starting with just five minutes of diaphragmatic nasal breathing twice daily—this simple practice activates your parasympathetic nervous system, counteracting stress hormones. Read more here:breathing
Other effective approaches include mindfulness meditation, gentle yoga, spending time in nature, essential oils and boundary-setting to reduce unnecessary demands on your energy. Find what resonates with you and practice consistently rather than sporadically.
10. Nourish Your Fertility: The Food-Hormone Connection
Food is information for your body, sending signals that can either support or hinder reproductive function. Many of my clients come to me having tried restrictive diets that actually created additional stress on their systems, despite the best intentions.
The most fertility-supportive approach focuses not on restriction but on inclusion—specifically, including nutrient-dense foods that provide the building blocks for hormone production and egg quality. Certain nutrients like folate, zinc, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants play outsized roles in fertility.
What to do: Focus on a nutritionally dense foods – vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, quality proteins, and whole grains if tolerated. Sprouts and Saurerkraut I am a big fan of, along with Ningxia Red.
Prioritise organic produce for the “Dirty Dozen” most pesticide-contaminated items. Rather than counting calories, focus on nutrient density and enjoyment of your food. I recommend getting a baseline through a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis lab test for precise individual understanding of your mineral profile.
Remember that a stressed relationship with food can be more damaging to fertility than occasional “imperfect” choices.
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It’s a Combined Effort – The Impact of Male Habits on Fertility
Research suggests that several common male habits may negatively affect fertility.
Cologne and fragranced products often contain phthalates and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can reduce sperm quality and quantity when absorbed through the skin.
Synthetic boxer shorts can elevate scrotal temperature by trapping heat, potentially impairing sperm production which optimally occurs at temperatures slightly below body temperature.
Chronic stress triggers increased cortisol production, which can suppress testosterone levels, disrupt hormonal balance, and impair sperm parameters including count, motility, and morphology.
The combination of these seemingly innocent lifestyle factors—chemical exposure from fragrances, thermal stress from non-breathable underwear, and psychological stress—can collectively contribute to reduced male fertility, highlighting the importance of lifestyle modifications when couples are trying to conceive.
What to do: Ditch the Colognes and join my Young Living Wellness Community to learn how to make your own natural ones. Swap synthetic for cotton. You skin needs this from you. Practice stress reducing activities.
Whilst the above factors are extremely important to take note of and change, there are other contributors, see the checklist below.
Male Habits Checklist
Limit or eliminate the following contributors:
- Tobacco use
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Overheating the testicles (hot tubs, saunas, laptop use on lap, tight underwear)
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Obesity
- Poor diet high in processed foods and low in antioxidants
- Recreational drug use
- Extended cycling
- Exposure to environmental toxins and chemicals
- Chronic stress
- Sleep deprivation
- Certain medications
- Using cologne with endocrine-disrupting chemicals
- Wearing synthetic, non-breathable underwear
Your Fertility Journey Is Unique
While these ten areas provide powerful leverage points for enhancing fertility naturally, please remember that your journey is uniquely yours. What works beautifully for one woman may need adjustment for another. Listen to your body’s feedback, work with healthcare providers who respect your desire for natural approaches while providing appropriate medical care, and be patient with the process.
In my clinical practice supporting women through fertility challenges, I’ve learned that the body has an extraordinary capacity for healing when we remove obstacles and provide the right support. Many women who had been told they would never conceive naturally are now mothers after implementing these fundamental changes.
Whether you’re actively trying to conceive, preparing your body for future pregnancy, or simply seeking to restore hormonal balance, these principles can transform your reproductive health from the inside out.
With love and healing, Mary-Kate Hoogland
Mary-Kate Hoogland is a hormone health specialist and upcoming author who has helped women overcome endometriosis, PCOS, and fertility challenges through natural protocols combining essential oils, nutrition, and lifestyle modifications. Her forthcoming book details her comprehensive approach to women’s hormonal health.